Gininka Watson
April 6, 3:40 pm
Aggravated DWI
A call came into Metro Dispatch about a female driver passed out at the wheel of a black Hyundai with the engine running in the parking lot of the Speedway store at 1068 Hwy. 602 in Vanderwagen. McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Terence Willie arrived at the scene and found the vehicle in question.
Willie knocked on the window to wake the driver, Gininka Watson, 28, of Zuni, who appeared disoriented. Another passenger was also passed out in the passenger seat. Willie observed an open container of vodka in the front seat. As he spoke with Watson, he noted she had bloodshot eyes and the vehicle smelled of alcohol.
Watson said she had consumed an unspecified type of alcohol at about 10 that morning and she agreed to take the standard field sobriety tests. She failed the tests and was placed under arrest. Willie searched the vehicle and found numerous containers within the vehicle.
After agreeing to the breath test, Watson was transported to the sheriff’s office where she posted samples of .34 and .33. She was then taken to Gallup Indian Medical Center for medical clearance and a COVID test.
After obtaining medical clearance, Watson was transported to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked. The passenger was picked up by family.
Rochelle Begay
Jan. 4, 8:04 pm
DWI
McKinley County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Shirley was patrolling westbound on Mendoza Road approaching the intersection at Armand Ortega Boulevard when Metro Dispatch issued an attempt-to-locate on a silver Mercury passenger car driving on Armand Ortega Boulevard.
Shirley saw a vehicle matching the description put out by Dispatch traveling east on Mendoza Road and he began following it. The headlights were turning off and on and the vehicle swerved across the road. The vehicle stopped near the 3-mile marker and Shirley conducted a traffic stop.
He met with the driver, Rochelle Begay, 26, address not listed, who stated she was on her way home. Shirley noted she smelled of alcohol as she spoke, but she told him she did not drink anything prior to driving.
Begay agreed to take the standard field sobriety tests, but failed and was placed under arrest. Shirley searched the vehicle and found numerous open containers and several closed containers on the front floorboard and in the back seat.
She refused to give a sample for the breath test and was transported to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked. She was released on her own recognizance on Jan. 5
Ursula Lewis
Sept. 18, 2020 9:54 pm
Aggravated DWI
Gallup Patrolman Victor Madrid was dispatched to 110 Dee Ann Ave. in reference to a potential rollover. Madrid and Officer Jared Albert arrived at the scene and saw a maroon vehicle off the road against a wooden fence.
Madrid met with the driver, Ursula Lewis, 28, who said she was driving north on Highway 602 by Continental Divide Electric when she saw a person run across the road and she swerved to avoid hitting them. She went off the roadway and hit a fence, stating her boyfriend and son were in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
As Lewis spoke, Madrid noted she had bloodshot eyes, slurred her speech, and smelled of alcohol. She admitted to drinking some shots of 99 Bananas while she was driving, but agreed to take the standard field sobriety tests.
Lewis failed the tests and she was placed under arrest. She was also charged with child abuse because she had her eight-year-old child in the vehicle at the time of the crash. She agreed to take a breath test and posted samples of .18 and .17.
She was transported to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked. No information was available about the other passengers.
Orlando Hoskie
Sept. 15, 2020 6:42 am
Aggravated DWI
New Mexico State Police Officer Nathaniel Renteria was on patrol facing west on I-40 near the 13-mile marker when he saw a silver vehicle pass by going 97 mph in a 75-mph zone.
Renteria began following the vehicle and pulled it over near mile marker 11, where he conducted a traffic stop. He made contact with the driver, Orlando Hoskie, 36, of Fort Defiance, Ariz., and recognized the smell of alcohol coming from inside the vehicle. After instructing Hoskie to exit the vehicle, he also noted Hoskie had bloodshot eyes.
Hoskie said he had nothing to drink prior to driving and agreed to take the standard field sobriety tests. However, he failed the tests and was placed under arrest. Renteria searched inside his vehicle and found two cans of Budweiser in the passenger seat.
Hoskie was transported to the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office for the breath test, where he posted two samples of .16. He was then taken to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked for aggravated DWI, speeding, and possession of an open container.
Leland Gordon
Sept. 5, 2020 9:50 pm
Aggravated DWI
New Mexico State Police Officer Sera Cena was working a McKinley County DWI Task Force checkpoint when a red SUV pulled up. Cena met with the driver, Leland Gordon, 45, of Tohlakai, N.M., who showed signs of being impaired.
Specifically, Gordon had bloodshot eyes, slurred his speech, smelled of alcohol, and swayed as he walked. He agreed to take the standard field sobriety tests, but eventually stopped and told police to just take him to jail.
Gordon was placed under arrest and transported to the local New Mexico State Police station, where he posted samples of .22 and .20 in a breath test. He was then transported to McKinley County Adult Detention Center and booked.
Angel Joe
May 26, 2020 1:30 am
Aggravated DWI
Gallup Patrolman Julio Yazzie was dispatched to 201 E. Hwy. 66 in reference to a vehicle accident. When he arrived at the scene, he saw a dark-colored vehicle parked in a city lot with its hood up. It had a trail of oil and fluid beneath it that began in the median and roadway.
Yazzie saw the driver, Angel Joe, 33, of Gallup, was trying to restart the vehicle and he conducted a traffic stop. As he spoke with her, he noted she had bloodshot eyes and seemed confused with her statements and began to argue with him.
Joe refused to take the standard field sobriety tests and she was placed under arrest after failing to produce her documentation. After being placed in his unit, she stated she was positive for COVID and demanded to go to the hospital, claiming she was going to harm herself because her diabetes was acting up.
She said she would give him the positive test results in a folder, but it was empty when Yazzie looked through it. He transported her to a local hospital afterward.
Joe was later released from the hospital and a summons was filed at a later date.
